Senior Software Engineer, Backend

At Vast, our mission is to contribute to a future where billions of people are living and thriving in space. Vast is developing next-generation space stations to ensure a continuous human presence in space for America and its allies, enabling advanced microgravity research and manufacturing, and unlocking a new space economy for government, corporate, and private customers. Using an incremental, hardware-rich and low-cost approach, Vast is rapidly developing its multi-module Haven Station. Haven Demo’s 2025 success made Vast the only operational commercial space station company to fly and operate its own spacecraft. Next, Haven-1 is expected to become the world’s first commercial space station when it launches, followed by additional Haven modules to enable permanent human presence by 2030. Our team is all-in, committed to executing our mission safely and on time. If you want to work with the most talented people on Earth furthering space exploration for humanity, come join us.

Vast is looking for a Senior Software Engineer, Backend reporting to the Senior Manager, Software Engineering to support the development of the systems that will be required for the design and build of artificial-gravity human-rated space stations.

This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location.

Responsibilities:

• Design, build, and maintain scalable backend services, tools, and pipelines supporting mission-critical security systems.

• Collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams to design and implement secure, high-performance services and APIs.

• Develop and maintain backend infrastructure for authentication, authorization, and secure data handling.

• Establish and promote best practices for backend architecture, security, and code quality at scale.

• Build systems that are reliable, observable, and capable of supporting a rapidly growing codebase and engineering team.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.

• 6+ years of backend software engineering experience, with exposure to security-focused systems (e.g., IAM, API security, certificate management).

• Strong experience building and operating backend services in cloud environments.

• Proficiency in at least one modern programming language (Python, Go, Rust, C++, etc.).

• Solid understanding of distributed systems, API design, and backend architecture.

• Experience working in Linux environments, including command line and scripting.

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Experience solving ambiguous, complex backend problems in fast-paced environments.

• Familiarity with DevOps practices and tools (Docker, Kubernetes).

• Experience designing and scaling APIs and microservices.

• Background in one or more security domains (e.g., cryptography, network security, infrastructure security).

• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate across teams.

• Ownership mindset with a bias toward action and continuous improvement.

Additional Requirements:

• Ability to travel up to 10% of the time.

• Willingness to work overtime, or weekends to support critical mission milestones.

• Ability to lift up to 25lbs unassisted.

• Specific certifications, as appropriate.

Pay Range:

• Senior Software Engineer, Enterprise Applications: $159,000 - $226,000

• Staff Software Engineer, Enterprise Applications: $188,600 - $267,000

Pay Range: California
$159,000—$267,000 USD

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Base salary will vary depending on job-related knowledge, education, skills, experience, business needs, and market demand. Salary is just one component of our comprehensive compensation package. Full-time employees also receive company equity, as well as access to a full suite of compelling benefits and perks, including: 100% medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents, generous paid time off; up to 20+ days of vacation for exempt staff and up to 10+ days of vacation for non-exempt staff with the ability to cash-out unused vacation annually, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, ClassPass credits, personalized mental healthcare through Spring Health, and other discounts and perks. We also take pride in offering exceptional food perks, with snacks, drip coffee & onsite barista, cold drinks, and dinner meals remaining free of charge, and lunch subsidized as part of Vast’s ongoing commitment to providing high-quality meals for employees.

U.S. EXPORT CONTROL COMPLIANCE STATUS

The person hired will have access to information and items subject to U.S. export controls, and therefore, must either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.62 or otherwise eligible for deemed export licensing. This status includes U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents (green card holders), and asylees and refugees with such status granted, not pending.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Vast is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Vast is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.